Apparatus for precooling cars



W. C. PHILLIPS APPRATUS FOR PRECOOLING CARS July 10, 1934.

Filed Feb. 19, 1932 Patented July 10, 1934 UNITED STATES.

PATENT QFFl-CE 2 Claims.

My invention relates to means and methods for lowering the temperaturein compartments such as refrigerator'cars and is primarily concernedwith a means and method for this purpose which utilizes the coolinginfluence of ice or a similar refrigerant placed within the icecompartment or bunker of the customary type of refrigerator car.

Many Ways to lower the temperature within a refrigerator car dependingupon the circulation of air in the car have been utilized with dvaryingdegrees of success. As far as I am aware, all schemes relying solelyupon air circulation Within the car itself have been relativelyunsuccessful and ineffective because of non-uniform results, slowness,impracticability or other reasons. One of the chief problems involved inprecooling a car is the .even lowering of temperature throughout the carand throughout the load in the car. It is relatively difcult to obtainthe desired low temperature adjacent the center of the car and adjacentthe top ofthe load inasmuch as the natural, convection circulation ofair currents within a car is downwardly through the ice bunker to thelower and most immediate portion of the load in the storage compartmentof the car, thence immediately back to the top of the ice bunker. Thus,the convection currents customarily short circuit or shunt the majorportion of the load by rising within the load compartment in a zoneimmediately .adjacent the bunker wall and returning to the ice bunker atthe upper portion thereof through the Aopening between the ice bunkerand the 'storage or load compartment. Consequently, the center and upperportion of the load is not swept by such convection currents.

It is an object of my.invention to. obtain a relatively uniform ordesired low temperature substantially throughout the load compartment ofa car.

Another object of my invention is to prevent deleterious shunting orshort circuiting of air currents within a refrigerator car.

Another Aobject of my invention is to provide means which can easily beinstalled within and removed from a refrigerator car for utilizing theice bunkers in precooling the car and its load. .-The foregoing andother objects are attained in the embodiment of the invention shown inthe drawing, in which Figure 1 is a cross section on a longitudinalvertical plane of a standard or typical refrigerator car showing theinstallation therein of a device in`accordance with my invention.

(Cl. (i2-24) Figure 2 is a cross section on a transverse vertical planeof the refrigerator car, showing in enlarged scale, part of a mountingfor a circulating unit.

Figure 3 is a cross section on the lines 3-3 of 60 Figure 2.

In its preferred form, the apparatus and method of my invention isprimarily for use within a refrigerator car having an ice bunker and aload compartment separated except at the top and bottom by a wall andcontemplates forcing air from the interior ofthe bunker outwardly abovethe load in the car and permitting the air to return through the loadinto the lower portion of the ice bunker, the forcing means beingpreferably removable and being of such character and being disposedwithin the car in such a location and fashion as to ensure a propercirculation of air over the upper portion and central portion of theload.

In the embodiment of the apparatus of the invention shown in thedrawing, there is provided a refrigerator car, generally designated 2,which is of the customary kind, having a floor 3, a roof 4 and end walls6 and '1. Withinthe car there is located at each end an icei bunker 8which is separated from the load compartment 9 of the car by means of abunker'wall 11. The bunker wall extends transversely from one side wall12 of the car to the other 13, but is spaced from the floor 3 at itslower endto leave an opening 16 and is similarly spaced to the roof 4 atits upper end to leave an opening 17. I Spanning the space between eachof the bunker walls 11 and the end Walls 6 and 7 of the car are suitablegrates 18 to support' ice19 or other suitable refrigerant within thebunker.

Customarily, the load-21 is suitably arranged Within the loadcompartment 9 and the direction of natural or convection air circulationis inA wardly through the opening 17, downwardly over the refrigerant 19and outwardly through the opening 16 into the load compartment andthence upwardly through the load to the opening 17 for recirculation.Such circulation is relatively 1ocalized and has little or no effectupon the central and upper portion of the load 21. To obviate thedliculties caused by such circulation and to provide commerciallysufficient and improved precooling, I preferably span the side walls 121 and 13 of the car with a detachable or readily removable beam 26 whichcan be of any suitable structural shape, for instance, and which servesas the point of anchorage for a suitable baie 27 spanning the spacebetween the beam 26 and the upper portion of the bunker wall 11 or ofthe load to prevent air flow therebetween. The beam at opposite ends isprovided with blocks 28, one of which may be slidable, carryingoppositely threaded spiked bolts 29 so that upon rotation of the beam,it rmly engages the car sides.

Likewise mounted on the beam 26 and extending between the beam and theroof 4 of the car is a baie 30 formed of one or a plurality of platesdesigned to fill completely the space between the beam 26 and the roof.4 of the car and to be adjustable to accommodate mechanisms forl carsof different dimensions. Some of this structure is similar to that shownin my copending application, entitled Car cooler, led October 17, 1931,

through the openings 17. Shortly after fan cirwithy Serial No. 569,4'79.The baille plate 30 is provided with a central aperture encompassingwhich is a shroud 31 having a cylindrical shell 32 in which a propellerfan 33 is mounted. To drive the fan there is provided a source of powersuch asan electric motor 34 preferably mounted on the shell 32. `Thedirection of rotation of the fan 33 is such that air is induced to flowfrom the ice bunker 8 through the opening 17 and through the shroud 31and the fan 33 into the upper portion of the load compartment 9. Therelatively large space between the bunker wall 11 and the fan 33facilitates the flow of air to the fan and increases the efficiency. A

I have foundby virtue 'of numerous experiments that the apparatus as sofar described is not eiective no matter how operated to procure thedesired low or uniform temperature adjacent the upper central portion ofthe load 21. Therefore, in accordance with my invention, I havepreferably provided in each half of the car a blower unit 36 disposedwithin the load compartment 9 and preferably located about midwaybetween the fan 33 and the central portion of the load. The blower unit36 comprises usually a cylindrical shell 37 mounted on a base 38 andcontaining an impeller fan 39 driven by a suitable source of power, suchas electric motor 41. Electric current conductors 42 extend from asuitable source of electromotive force (not shown) not only to the motor41 but likewise to the motor 34 so that the two impellers 33 and 39 areoperated simultaneously.

'I'he impeller 39 is operated in such a direction as to induce furtherflow of the current discharged by the fan 33 over and above the load 21toward the center of the car, so that the current instead ofshort-circuiting in the direction of the arrows A to the lower portionof the bunker 8 through the opening 16, is impelled to the center upperportion of the load 21 as shown by the arrows B. Sincethe two fans 33send currents in opposite directions toward the center of the car, asmall pressure is developed at the center of-the car above the load, andsince this pressure is greater than that at the lower portion of thebunkers 8, because there the suction due to the fans 3 3 is appreciable,the air ows downwardly through the load and back to the bunkers 8 underthe door 3.

By virtue of this method of cooling, the temperature Sis substantiallyuniform throughout the car. I have found that what slight variations intemperature occur are such that after several hours of circulation bythe fans as described, the upper central portion of the load is thecoldest, while those portions of the load adjacent the lower parts ofthe bunker walls 11 are the warmest. Upon discontinuance of fancirculation, however, the natural convection circulation is such thatthe coldest air from the bunkers 8 ows upwardly from the openings 16 andshort circuits the remainder of the load to return culation has beenstopped, therefore, the temperature throughout the load is almostexactly uniform.

Although under different conditions some variations occur, I have foundthat the best results occur when the fans are of such capacity that fromfourteen to sixteen complete cycles of air now, or air changes, are madeper minute. This is distinct from former practice in which from one toone and a half air changes are made per minute.

It is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the 4form of theapparatus and method for precooling -cars shown and described herein, asthe invention, as set forth in the following claims may be embodied in aplurality of forms.

I claim: y i

1. Apparatus for precooling a car having a refrigerant bunker and a loadcompartment partially separated by a bunker wall providing openingsadjacent the top and bottom of said car, said apparatus comprising aremovable partition for closing said top opening, said partitio havingan aperture therein, a fan mounted 1n said aperture exteriorly of saidbunker compartment for forcing cooled air from the top of said bunkercompartment toward the center of said load compartment and a secondfanspaced from said rst mentioned fan and positioned adjacent-the top ofsaid car between said first mentioned fan and the center of said loadcompartment for forcing a portion of said cooled air to the center ofsaid load compartment.

2. Apparatus for precooling a car having a refrigerant bunker and a loadcompartment partially separated by a bunker Wall providing open-A ingsadjacent the top and bottom of said car, said apparatus comprising abeam extending across said load compartment adjacent said wall, apartition for closing said top opening supported by said beam, saidpartition having an aperture therein, a. fanmounted in said apertureexteriorly of said bunker compartment and a second fan spaced from saidrst mentioned fan and positioned above the load in said car for forcinga portion ofsaid cooled air to the center of said load compartment.

WALTER C. PHILLIPS.

